Soils 2050 Where can we go
from here?
Don McCabe November 21, 2017 Soil and Soil Health
Latornell Conservation Symposium
Soils 2050 Where can we go from here?
OR Providing Sustainability in a Low Carbon Economy with a
Future of Precision Agriculture Don McCabe
November 21, 2017 Soil and Soil Health
Latornell Conservation Symposium
•Man — despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments — owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. •Paul Harvey
Sustainability • Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March
20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Difficult concept due to interactions
Environment
Society
Economy
Food vs Fuel Soils
Jobs New Ag
Markets Based on
Renewables
Carbon/ Climate Change
Goals, Targets, Needs
• Feed 9 billion by 2050 • Global warming, low carbon economy • 30Mt reduction in GHG’s with low carbon
fuels by 2030 • Canada’s GHG’s target in 2030 compared to
2005 baseline • Halt urban sprawl • Phosphorous
Paris Climate Change Talks • Greenhouse gases are part of sustainability
metrics • World Business Council on Sustainable
Development has clearly stated its views on going to low carbon technologies
• Some are directly involved in ag supply chains (eg. Pepsico, Kelloggs’s, Dupont, Monsanto etc.) or retailers to consumers at the end of the chain
• Walmart launched Project Gigaton April 19,2017.
What Does Sustainability Look Like On My Farm?
2008 soybeans, 2009 winter wheat, 2007 corn cobs
November 2008
Everything in this slide has a price point to market Combine and Head (AGCO) Corn (CBOT) Stalks and Cobs (Value chain cooperative or commodity pricing?)
Definition of a Farmer
• Cash crop • Corn, soybeans, wheat farmer • Beef farmer • Fruit and vegetable producer • Egg producer • Pineapple plantation • Or……..
Definition of a Farmer • Manager of carbon and nitrogen cycles with input
from the water cycle to produce starch, oil, protein, fuel, fiber and energy for world wide consumers at the highest quality.
Priority #1 - Feed markets
that feed, clothe, power and build the world.
- Logistics and markets exist.
- Global competition means constant improvement to meet price points.
Prioritizing or Meeting Markets?
Soil Equation to Soil System
• Jenny’s Equation for soil formation – Soil=f(cl,pm,r,o,t)
– Soil is a function of
climate, parent material, topography, biota and time
• Farmers are managers of the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
• Biota and time are the factors that can be managed here.
Priority #3 SUSTAINABLE ag residue removal for composites, chemicals, fuels and energy
IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT!
•80% of Ontario soybeans and corn within 200km
We are doing it! Sarnia BioHybrid Cluster
Bio/Renewable Based • BioAmber • Cargill • Enbridge • Greenfield Ethanol • Methes Energy • KmX • Solutions4CO2 • Suncor Ethanol • Woodland Biofuels
Fossil Based
• Air Products • BP Energy • CF Industries • DuPont • Ethyl Corporation • Exxon-Mobil • LANXESS • NOVA Chemicals • Ontario Power
Generation • Pembina • Praxair • Royal Dutch Shell • Styrolution • Suncor Energy • TransAlta Energy
26 Sandy Marshall
"Based on the first term of funding it is evident that BIC is becoming an organization that will create a legacy for Canada in the bioindustrial and bioinnovation sectors." Mayor Mike Bradley Sarnia, Ontario
•
Meanwhile……….Sustainability • Profit, Planet and People • Canadian farmers are active stewards
• Integrated waste management
Enhancing Biological GHG Mitigation in Canada 28
Opp
ortu
nitie
s Strategic Carbon Management
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/tssg-precisionagriculturestepanivanov-160127115230/95/driving-sustainable-food-production-with-precision-agriculture-3-638.jpg?cb=1453895712
All of these technologies will build on baseline soil data to enhance productivity and sustainability
Low Cost-Low Touch Verification Systems
• With satellites coming on line: • Coverage at least twice a week • Year two: Close to daily coverage • Year three: Potentially multiple images each
day • Satellite Specifications
• 1 meter multispectral, 1 meter panchromatic video (DEM capabilities), 30 meter hyperspectral, 90 meter thermal
• Other Smallsat alternatives may be evaluated
38
* Most of these data sets are freely available, keeping costs lower.
Applied Geo-Solutions Products
• Our system provides detailed maps of crop residue cover and cover crops:
39
Tillage in Fall & Spring
Annually Farm-field,
county, & watershed level
Uncertainty maps Trends Continuous no-till
• Tillage practice • Cover crop compliance • Crop types and acreages
Basic Analysis
Advanced Analysis
• Cover crop type • Disturbance levels • Percent Residue • Biomass levels as they relate to carbon sequestration • Continued monitoring of carbon cycle in project fields.
Types of Analyses –w/ Satellites and Drones
Algae Blooms in Lake Erie
Who to blame? Government Action & Targets (Binational, Provinces & States, Ontario, Michigan and Ohio) Silver bullet or buckshot available? Yes to buckshot!
Aggregation to Answers
Supply Chain Engagement Cooperating Farms
Identification of Key Performance Indicators: eg. • Water footprint • Energy footprint • GHG footprint • Animal Welfare
Data Management System • Efficient, common data gathering • On-farm monitoring installed • Web-based, App-assisted
Algorithms and QA/QC • Analytical programs to
convert data into key metrics
• Ongoing monitoring • Dashboard development • Data integrity scrubs
Performance Reporting • Benchmarking • Testing • Training modules
Capturing Canada’s Green Advantage: Biosphere Solutions
CO2
Fossil Fuels
Biomass
(N2O, CH4)
SEQUESTER Atmospheric C & solar energy into biomass.
REDUCE CH4 & N2O associated with biosphere management
ADAPT biosphere to changing climate & atmosphere
…
… the improved management and use of our biological cycles to provide environmental values, energy, chemicals and materials (the Bioeconomy) in addition to food, feed and fibre.
COMPLEMENT fossil energy (& chemicals, materials) with biomass
Doing it all! Canadian farmers manage the natural resources.
Measure to Manage to Markets
Graphic from http://www.iea-bioenergy.task42-biorefineries.com/
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